Major developments for June 1
Balita News Group
Abu Sayyaf slips naval blockade?
MANILA - The military today raised the possibility that Abu Sayyaf
kidnappers and their 20 hostages may have slipped the naval blockade in the
vast Sulu Sea. In a news briefing, Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen.
Edilberto Adan denied radio broadcast that Philippine Navy vessels have
surrounded a "basnig," a huge fish trap constructed at mid sea, near Cagayan
de Tawi-Tawi Islands where the hostages and kidnappers were reportedly
sought refuge. "There is no such thing," Adan said after he checked with the
Southern Command (Southcom) based in Zamboanga City and Western Command
(Wescom) in Puerto Princesa City this afternoon. But pursuing government
troops on board naval vessels recovered an abandoned 600-horsepower
speedboat used by the Abu Sayyaf terrorists during their escapade after they
raided the Dos Palmas beach resort on Arreceffi Island in Palawan last Sunday.
---
Biazon says Palawan incident has 4 components
MANILA - Senator Rodolfo G. Biazon today said the Palawan kidnapping
incident has four components which should be addressed properly. According
to Biazon, these are the news blackout, the credibility of the Armed Forces
of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), the
policy to be followed by the AFP/PNP and the issue on vigilante. In today's
Round Table Media Forum at the Holiday Inn Manila, the chairman of the
Senate committee on national defense and urban planning bared that if he
were on the shoes of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) leader Abu Sabbaya, he would
not announce that he was either in Sulu or in Basilan. With the limitations
on the access of Sabbaya to the media, it will be a handicap on the part of
ASG, he said.
-----
Safety of hostages is paramount concern of gov't -- Perez
MANILA - The primary concern of the government in its pursuit operations
against the Abu Sayyaf terrorists is the safety and well being of the 20
hostages, Justice Secretary Hernando Perez assured the public today. "Ang
pangunahing inasikaso ng pamahalaan ay iyong kaligtasan ng mga hostages
(What the government has been doing is to ensure the safety of the
hostages)," Perez said in a radio interview this morning. Perez, who has
been designated by the President as her personal emissary to relatives of
the hostages, said that if the government has been extra cautious in
handling the hostage situation, it is because it does not want to compromise
the safety of the hostages. Earlier, the President had ordered a massive
military manhunt against the Abu Sayyaf as she ruled out any negotiations
and the payment of ransom to the bandits.
-----
Osmena says passage of power bill likely today but Tatad disagrees
MANILA - A day after declaring that the power bill is not likely to be
approved during the special session, the climate in the Senate seemed to
have changed that Sen. John Osmena is now saying the measure will be passed.
In fact, Osmena told Senate reporters that senators would be willing to stay
in the chamber until early tomorrow morning just to wind up their work on
the power bill. Osmena, chairman of the Senate energy committee, earlier
stated that Congress has ran out of time to tackle the power bill, after so
much time has been wasted on the insertions discovered in the draft of the
Senate, allegedly on instructions of a congressman. He was so furious over
the insertions that he declared the measure would not likely be passed
within the special session, since it has opened another issue for debate in
the bicameral conference committee.
-----
PNP readies kidnapping charges vs Abu Sayyaf
MANILA - Police today prepared kidnapping charges against Abu Sayyaf leaders
and their cohorts responsible for the abduction of 20 people in Dos Palmas
beach resort in Palawan last Sunday. Director General Leandro Mendoza,chief
of the Philippine National Police (PNP),today said the PNP has started
collating evidence against the perpetrators of the kidnapping. He ordered
Chief Supt.Domingo Reyes, PNP Region 4 commander, to file kidnapping charges
against the Abu Sayyaf group. "The case will be based on the witnesses we
have and we will file it as soon as possible," Mendoza said.
-----
Southcom welcomes tracking equipment offer from the U.S. gov't
ZAMBOANGA CITY - Armed Forces' Southern Command welcomes the assistance
offered by the U.S. government consisting of sophisticated tracking
facilities and equipment as troops intensify simultaneous search operations
in Tawi-Tawi, Basilan and Sulu of the Abu Sayyaf kidnappers holding 20
captives recently seized from a beach resort in Puerto Princesa, Palawan
province. Colonel Jose Mendoza, Southcom deputy chief for operations, said
however, despite the upgraded tracking equipment offered, "we will not
compromise operational security and safety of the hostages." Mendoza said
military intelligence networking activities are being strengthened to verify
reported sightings of the bandit group holding three Americans, seven
Filipino-Chinese, four staff members of Dos Palmas Beach Resort, two
security personnel and four other beach goers. Mendoza said naval blockades
are also being
stepped-up by military troops in close coordination with police operatives
based in the three Mindanao provinces.
-----
698 establishments reported closure/retrenchment--DOLE
MANILA - The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) today said a total of
698 establishments have reported permanent closure/retrenchment due to
economic reasons for the first three months of the year. In a press
conference, Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas said this figure was up by
1.6 percent from 687 last year. But Sto.Tomas said the number of workers who
lost their jobs due to establishment closures and retrenchments reached
14,092 or a decline of 27.9 percent from 19,540 workers laid off last year.
The National Capital Region (NCR) had the highest incidence of establishment
closures/retrenchments reaching 406 or 58.2 percent. Affected mostly were
those establishments engaged in manufacturing totaling 209 or 29.9 percent.
This was followed by wholesale and retail trade,110 or 15.8 percent;
financial intermediation, 95 or 13-6 percent; and real estate, renting and
business activities, 82 or 11.7 percent.
-----
SC bats on e-commerce application within 2 months - Davide
MANILA - Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide, Jr. today bared
that within two months' time they are up for the implementation of the
e-commerce application in the highest court of the land. The paperless work
will be done, Davide said, through a series of special lectures in September
this year to be conducted by one Justice Nicholson. As part of the Davide
Watch, there are now 1,500 personal computers with software nationwide in
order to facilitate the workings of some 200 Halls of Justice. Barring any
hitches, the entire judicial system is expected to be computerized within
the year. In 1999, Davide said there were donations for the construction of
Halls of Justice but the problem was that of a counterpart funding.
-----
2 Taiwanese fugitives nabbed in Pampanga
MANILA -- The Bureau of Immigration (BI) arrested early today in Pampanga
two Taiwanese fugitives wanted for serious crimes in their country several
years ago. Immigration Commissioner Andrea Domingo identified the fugitives
as Chung Chi Tang, 65, and Huang Ching Lung, 41, who are both subjects of
standing arrest warrants by the courts in Taiwan. The two were apprehended
by members of the BI special operations team led by immigration agents Dante
Atienza and Joey Escobar in their residences at the Villasol and Timog
Subdivisions in Angeles City. Domingo said both will be deported to Taipei
within the week for being undocumented aliens, which arose from the
cancellation of their passports by the Taiwanese government.
-----
GDP grows by 2.5% in the first quarter
MANILA - The political crisis and unfavorable external factors took their
toll in the country's economy as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by measly
2.5 percent in the first quarter of 2001 as against last year's 3.3 percent.
Substantial net factor income inflows, however, enabled the Gross National
Product (GNP) to grow 3.6% during the period from 3.5% in 2000. "The
slowdown was widely anticipated. The political crisis that was triggered by
the jueteng scandal and unfavorable external factors weighed down the growth
of the domestic economy," National Economic and Development Authority Deputy
Director General Gilbert Llanto said in a press conference. Llanto said the
NEDA was expecting growth for the first quarter to hover 2.3% to 3%. This is
much lower than the government's 3.8 to 4.3% GDP growth target for the year.
National Statistical Coordination Board Secretary General Romulo Virola said
the GNP in the first quarter managed to grow within its last year's level
due to the robust growth of services and agriculture sectors.
-----
NEDA says passage of power bill crucial to economic recovery
MANILA - The government is counting on the passage of the much-awaited Power
Reform Bill as crucial factor to the economic recovery. "Despite last
quarter's lower GDP (Gross Domestic Product), we want to remain as positive
as possible. The bill is an important item in our agenda. It is a boost for
economic recovery," National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)
Deputy Director General Gilberto Llanto said. "The passage of the bill
during the special session will also be significant as it signals the
administration's leadership in pushing ahead its economic reforms," he said.
According to Llanto, the bill would help the government attain at least its
low-end GDP target of 3.8% for 2001. At least 4.23% GDP is needed during the
next three quarters to enable it to achieve its low-end growth target.
-----
No proclamation of 13 winning senators
MANILA - The much awaited proclamation of the 13 winning senators in the May
14 elections will not be held Friday as earlier reported. In an interview,
Comelec chair Alfredo Benipayo said there are about 800,000 more votes
expected to come in from three remaining certificate of canvass (COC) from
Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and Eastern Samar. Benipayo said these votes
could still affect the tail ender 10 to 13.
-----
No concrete RP-U.S. joint efforts in Abu Sayyaf operations Palace clarifies
MANILA - MalacaÑang today clarified that the Philippines and the United
States have not discussed specific areas of cooperation in the ongoing
military operations against the Abu Sayyaf bandits who have abducted 20
hostages from a resort in Palawan over the weekend. In his regular press
briefing in Malacanang this afternoon, Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto
Tiglao said the offer of US Congressman Robert Underwood during a call on
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Wednesday was "merely a general offer of
help." "It,s a kind of help we offer to friends," Tiglao said. He said
there has been no concrete or specific proposals on how the US can help the
Philippine government in pursuing the kidnappers.
-----
GMA confident innovative Grameen Bank concept to reduce poverty in RP
MANILA - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said today that the provision of
micro-credit to poor Filipino families, under the innovative Grameen Bank
lending concept, will go a long way in reducing poverty in the country. The
President made the statement during the courtesy call of Dr. Mohammad Yunus,
founder and managing director of the Grameen Bank (GB) of Bangladesh, in
Malacanang. Yunus, who originated the practice of providing small, uninsured
loans to poor and self-employed women in Bangladesh, had a lengthy
discussion with the President regarding the success of the micro-credit
financing system. Among the pro-poor programs initiated and implemented in
the last two decades in various parts of the world, the Grameen Bank concept
has been widely accepted as one of the most effective in reducing poverty.